ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1912, a stuntman jumped out of the torch of the Statue of Liberty wearing a parachute.

In 1914, the Cub Scouts were formed.

On this date in 1971 that Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda.

Shakira turns 33, Christie Brinkley turns 56, and Graham Nash turns 68.

Groundhog Day -- an old belief that if the sun shines on Candlemas Day, or if the groundhog sees his shadow when he emerges on February 2, six weeks of winter will ensue. To see a shadow the sun must be shinning and the groundhog has to look in the correct direction. http://www.visitpa.com/groundhog/

Six More Weeks Of Winter
(If he, of course, sees his shadow...) Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! On Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, at 7:27 am this Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2004, Punxsutawney Phil, King of Groundhogs, Seer of Seers, imitated but never equaled, responded to the summons of Groundhog President Bill Cooper. Bill Deeley, his friend and Handler greeted him affectionately and placed him atop his domicile, the old oak stump. From this lofty seat he addressed the large enthusiastic throng of faithful followers, wishing them a "Happy Groundhog Day." Phil may be as cute as a Beanie Baby but when he predicts in his Groundhogese there is no maybe. He directed president Bill to the appropriate scroll, which reads: Governor Rendell joins this joyful throng of several thousand strong and he like everyone will thrill at seeing the magic on this hill as I make my prognostication and give my justification: I see my shadow beside me and that is that magic you see. It causes this midwinter revelry, six more weeks of winter there will be.

Groundhog Trivia

• How much money does Groundhog's Day generate for businesses in Punxsutawney? $15,000, $150,000 ***, or $250,000.
• What's Phil's wife's name? Phyliss ***, Fillie or Fanny.
• True or False, Punxsutawney Phil is really a woodchuck. (True, a woodchuck is another name for groundhog)
• When did Phil begin predicting weather at Gobbler's Knob? 1887 ***, 1907, or 1967.
• Spell Punxsutawney.

Call him Whistle Pig, call him Woodchuck, call him Groundhog. Whatever you call him, he's that fat little critter who gets all the attention today. Now here are the facts from The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife -- and some even stranger than the fiction that's made him famous.

• He Whistles -- No tunes, just a warning to other groundhogs. His teeth chatter, and he can growl.
• He Climbs -- If he's chased, he'll climb a tree.
• He's a Sun Worshiper -- He crawls out on a tree limb, perches on a fence post or stretches out on a rock to sunbathe.
• He makes a Dull Pet -- He eats in the summer and sleeps in the winter. In some states you need a permit to keep him, He like to bite and be mean.
• He's prone to dental problems -- He has 22 teeth, and they grow continuously. Bad overbite problem.
• He wake's up to mate -- That's usually at the end of February, and not on Groundhog Day.
• He's Vegetarian -- yep, deal with it.
• He doesn't live with other Hogs -- He may move in to mate then leave.
• He is a Home Boy -- Doesn't get more than 50 yards from his den. When he travels it's only to find a mate.
• He's homely, but it has saved his hide -- His skin has never been prized fur. His hid has been used for boot laces, and before banjo heads were made of plastic, groundhog hides were favored.

More Groundhog Day facts from Groundhog Facts

Groundhog, woodchuck -- what's the difference?
Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal, the rodent with the scientific name of Marmota monax. Most closely related to squirrels, woodchucks actually can climb trees and also swim.

What's so special about February 2?
Celestially speaking, Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 is a "cross-quarter" day, about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the ver nal equinox in March, and is celebrated in some cultures as the mid point of winter. It's not far from the time many groundhogs end their hi bernation anyway, around the second week of February.

What's going on in that burrow?
In the winter, not much. Groundhogs go into profound hibernation, greatly reducing their metabolic rate, and their body temperature drops to just a few degrees above ambient temperature. Because their hibernaculum, the deepest portion of the burrow where they hibernate, is below frost line, that produces a body temperature as low as 39-40 degrees F.

What's the wake-up call?
The groundhog's internal clock is believed to be affected by annual changes in the amount of daylight. Hormonal responses to cyclic changes in production of melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, are thought by some to be the signal to wake up.

Why did groundhog fur coats go out of fashion?
Groundhog fur never was in vogue, partly because it is not particularly thick and warm, and because the fur's grizzled grey-brown appearance is more appealing to others of their species than to people. Groundhog hairs are great for tying trout flies, such as the 'Chuck Caddis, and early American Indians once used sturdy woodchuck hides for soles of moccasins.

What's for dinner?
Groundhogs in the wild eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion greens, clover, plantain and grasses. They also are tempted by nearby gar den vegetables. At Cornell, they dine on Agway Woodchuck Chow, a simi lar formulation to rabbit feed but in larger-sized pellets. Woodchucks binge and purposefully put on weight in the summer, reaching their maxi mum mass in late August. They become lethargic and prepare for hiber nation in October. By February, hibernating woodchucks have lost as much as half their body weight.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• So much for those separation rumors: Brad and Angelina attended the Directors Guild Awards together on Saturday night.
• Geri Halliwell's significant other has been arrested for possession of cocaine after a night out at an exclusive London nightclub early Sunday morning.
• 78-year-old actor Actor Rip Torn has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a Connecticut bank last Friday... while drunk... and with a gun.
• Kristen Bell has been engaged to Dax Shepard since the holidays, but didn't wear her engagement ring until Sunday night at the Grammy's.
• Katy Perry admits that she knew Russell Brand was going to be offering her an engagement ring, because she found out he was buying one through Google Alert.
• "Jersey Shore" will be back for a second season on MTV, just in case there was any doubt.
• Beyonce made history at the Grammys on Sunday as she collected six trophies, including song of the year, making her the most decorated woman in one night in the 52-year history of the awards show.
• Aerosmith's Steven Tyler was in a Home Depot in Ranch Mirage, California, and when an employee asked him to sing, he got on the public address system and belted out mini-versions of "Dude looks like a lady" and "I don't want to miss a thing."

Here's something to howl about some people actually are more violent and display werewolf tendencies during a full moon, researchers reveal. For years, many police officers and emergency services workers have claimed there's a direct link between the moon and behavior only to have it dismissed as coincidence. But the new study of patients confirms instances of "violent and acute behavior disturbances" during full moons were double those of any other lunar phase. "Some of these patients attacked staff like wild animals by biting, spitting and scratching," says Leonie Calver, clinical research nurse in toxicology at Australia's Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital. "One might compare them with werewolves of past who are said to have also appeared during the full moon." In the study published in Australia Medical Journal, Calver says: "It has been reported that the practice of rubbing magic ointment on the skin or inhaling vapor form a magic potion by an alleged werewolf induces metamorphosis. Not surprising, the main ingredients were belladonna and nightshade, both of which can produce delirium, hallucinations and delusion of bodily metamorphosis." (National Examiner)

The best form of exercise just might be doing nothing at all. According to experts, rest and recovery during a lengthy training program is just as important as the workout itself. "Even elite athletes have one easy day a week to allow their bodies to recover from the stresses of training," explains University of Bedfordshire sports professor John Brewer. Researchers say it's not just your body that benefits from you easing back time away from the gym provides an opportunity to recharge mentally. And if you need an excuse to get in a few more hours of shut eye a night play attention to this: A recent study conducted at Stanford University's sleep disorders clinic proves that female athletes who volunteered to sleep 10 hours showed significant improvement, in a batter of drills over their results on eight hours of sleep." (National Examiner)

The worst mistake in a job interview is to forget your manners. When questioned by Vault for a survey focused on interview etiquette, many job seekers insist they show up on time for interviews and are well-prepared. But hiring managers say they've seen a plethora of bad behavior in interviews. Here is a sampling of the worst job interview behavior:

• Wore inappropriate attire.
• Used profanity during the interview.
• Answered their cell phone in the middle of an interview.
• Brought a child to an interview.
• Binging lunch to the interview and eating it during the conversation.
• Crying.
• Picking one's nose.
• Showing up drunk.

If you think answering your cell phone during the interview isn't all that bad, think again: 68% of hiring managers would instantly disqualify a candidate for doing this.

Men tend to marry a woman who is like their mother. We're not talking looks or personality. It's even bigger than that. We're talking life direction. Whether a young man's mother earned a college degree and whether she worked outside the home while he was growing up seems to have an effect years later when he considers his ideal wife, according to a study by University of Iowa sociologist Christine Whelan, author of "Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women." High-achieving men, that is those who earn salaries in the top 10% for their age and/or have a graduate degree, are highly likely to marry a woman whose education level mirrors their mom's. Nearly 80% of the high-achieving men whose mothers had college degrees married women with college degrees, and 19% of them married women with graduate degrees.